Clinton, Affleck promote effort to reduce child mortality rate with breastfeeding, vaccines

WASHINGTON – Actor Ben Affleck is joining Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in an effort to fight high child mortality rates across the globe.

Affleck appeared with Clinton at a child survival conference Thursday at Georgetown University.

Affleck is promoting his group, the Eastern Congo Initiative, and calls high death rates for children under 5 years old “abhorrent” and “unacceptable.” Affleck says, “We wouldn’t abide it in this country … and we must not abide it in the world globally with our brothers and sisters.”

Clinton says that saving children’s lives “cannot be just a job for governments.” She announced that more than 60 organizations in 40 countries have joined an effort to promote breastfeeding, vaccines and health care for children.